The San Pedro Sun

The WILD Scarlet Macaw is NOT a Pet!The magnificent Scarlet Macaw is one of the rarest jewels of Belize. To see one in the wild is an unforgettable experience. With this in mind, I decided to learn a bit more about these beautiful yet critically endangered creatures. That is when it hit me, these birds are critically endangered is because of humans. Victims of human greed, they are poached so that some family can have an ‘exotic’ bird. Yes, they are beautiful, but so much more so flying free! Scarlet macaws are brightly colored birds with feathers ranging in color from yellow to blue to mostly red. They can fly at speeds of up to 35 miles per hour and can grow up to 35 inches in length.

PUP puts Arthur Saldivar on suspension pending an investigationBelize’s main opposition party has suspended the Belize Rural North standard bearer, Arthur Saldivar. That was the outcome of a national executive meeting of the People’s United Party which took place on Wednesday August 27th. Saldivar’s suspension from the PUP comes as a result of a serious accusation made against him for wrongdoing by one of his clients that he represented as their attorney. Earlier in August, Saldivar was accused of taking $904,000.00 from his former client Melonie Coye and her family. Saldivar had represented the Coyes in a money laundering case that he won, and the court had ordered the return of the confiscated money. But the Coyes claim that Saldivar has some of their money and they have retained attorney Eamon Courtenay to sue Saldivar for the monies. While Saldivar has been taking pressure from the Coyes, the PUP is also getting pressure from the general public, who is criticizing Saldivar’s behavior.

Ramon’s Village Resort “Beauty From Ashes”One year ago today, the worst disaster to ever strike Ramon’s Village Resort in San Pedro, Belize occurred with a massive fire destroying twenty-eight cabanas, Pineapples Restaurant, the Purple Parrot, Ramon’s Gift Shop and the general offices, laundry and warehouse at the resort. Valiant firefighting efforts by the San Pedro Fire Department, San Pedro Police Department, citizens of San Pedro and the employees of Ramon’s Village saved the resort from being a total loss. Today, one year later, any trace of a fire has been completely erased and the iconic resort is flourishing with guests. The owners of Ramon’s Village, Richard and Gina Headrick, along with Director of Operations Steve Sherwin, arrived at the still smoldering ruins of the resort on August 29, 2013. It was on the beach that day that a determined Richard Headrick told the assembled group of despondent employees that Ramon’s Village would be built back bigger and better than ever before. Over the course of the next 101 days, hundreds of San Pedro craftsmen joined with the employees at Ramon’s Village to transform the scene of a disaster back into a lush tropical oasis.

Unsolved Mystery: Dead Sea Creatures Washed AshoreOn Monday August 25th, the shoreline of San Pedro Town near Banyan Bay Villas was dotted with a number of dead sea creatures that had washed ashore. Among the creatures were a spotted eagle ray, and several species of fish and eels. Hol Chan Marine Reserve Authorities and Marine Biologist Dr. Rachel Graham were called to the scene where they performed necropsies to try and determine the cause of death of these creatures. Kirah Forman, Marine Biologist at Hol Chan Marine Reserve, along with Park Ranger Jairo Osorio and Director of Mar Alliance and The Belize Shark Project’s Dr. Rachel Graham investigated several factors. According to Graham, there are no evident signs on just what caused the occurrence. A necropsy conducted on the spotted eagle ray reported no signs of the creature being hooked, no apparent signs of trauma, hemorrhaging, or parasites in its internal organs. So just what is it that’s going on? Neither of the biologists could explain what is going on, but samples were taken for further testing.

Misc Belizean Sources

BTB Customer Service Awards Presentation at SHJC32 Tourism Management students from Sacred Heart Junior College received their Customer Service certificates from the Belize Tourism Board this week. Andy Bahadur and Dean Fermin Magana presented the awards.

Starry Nights on the BalconyThe San Ignacio Resort Hotel is starting their Starry Nights on the Balcony tonight. They'll have dinner specials and live music.
"Join us every Saturday and Sunday for specials on wine, decadent dinner specials and live music."

The Reporter

Cordel Hyde endorsed as PUP Lake I standard bearerCordel Hyde, who served under the last two PUP administrations as Minister of Education and Housing, was sworn in as the party’s standard bearer in the Lake I constituency on Saturday.
During a Saturday evening “coming home” convention attended by the party’s heavyweights, Hyde received full support from Carlos Diaz, a former PUP minister who ran independently in the last general elections after Hyde left the party abruptly, just weeks before the elections for personal reasons.
Hyde’s replacement in that election was Martin Galvez, who lost to the UDP’s Mark King.

Traffic accident claims two livesA traffic accident on Friday night reportedly claimed the lives of a man and a woman on the George Price Highway.
The accident happened near the Hector Silva Airstrip and involved a Chevy Tracker SUV and an L200.
Eyewitnesses have reported that the SUV was swaying across the highway just before the head-on collision.

Patrick Jones

Cordel Hyde endorsed as PUP Standard Bearer in Lake I
Former three time area representative for the People’s United Party (PUP) in Lake Independence Cordel Hyde is officially back in the race for national office. An endorsement convention was held this afternoon at the St. Martin de Porres football field. A huge crowd of PUP supporters from […]

Murder in San Pedro Columbia village, Toledo
The peace and tranquillity of the remote Toledo village of San Pedro Columbia was shattered tonight with the discovery of the body of one of the village elders. The nude body of 52 year old Agripina Coc was found tonight not far from her home in the village. […]

Family plans memorial mass for missing children
Four years after their disappearance, the family of Benjamin and Onelia Rash still have no closure about what happened to the siblings. On the afternoon of August 30, 2010, the then 11 year old Benjamin and 9 year old Onelia were selling craboo and limes in the area […]

Belize to Hold Third Annual End of the World Marathon
For many, the end of the 13th Baktun in the Maya Long Count Calendar, December 21, 2012, was a prediction of end times. Didn’t happen. To commemorate the event, the annual “End of the World Marathon” was organized in Belize, the heart of the Maya civilization. […]

Robbers targer Western Dairies ice cream parlor
The ice-cream parlor Western Dairies on Freetown Road was robbed this evening around 5 o’clock when four armed men entered through the back of the premises. Police responded almost immediately and shot one of the men as they were trying to escape. The other three got away and […]

Residents of Dangriga hold peaceful demonstration
The Dangriga branch of the National Garifuna Council today staged a peaceful demonstration that that southern municipality. Dangriga residents came out in numbers carrying placards and voicing their dissatisfaction with the decision by the local branch of First Caribbean International Bank to prohibit the speaking of Garifuna […]

Helping women maintain business and economic growth
Belizean women are known for their at times stupendous ability to stretch a dollar further than it has any right to go. But sometimes that is not enough to save or start a business, leaving them dependent on their male counterparts. As part of the “20,000 Strong” initiative […]

Hezbollah caught in Vehicle with Belize PlatesOn Thursday August 28th, Police in Cancun, Mexico searched a Mercedez Benz with Belize license plates BCC-4400. It was being driven by Hacsam Elsayetd and in the vehicle were three other passengers, including two females. It is believed they went into Mexico legally at the checkpoint at Subtiniente Lopez.
These terrorists belong to the group “Hezbollah” themselves who live in Belize according to data released necessarily had to enter the checkpoint Lieutenant Lopez. It is not yet known if the suspects carried Belizean passports.
Mexican authorities are aware that Belize is being used as a base for Hezbollah cells. In 2012, a fundraiser for Hezbollah Raffic Labboun was caught in Merida on parole violation. Labboun had secured within 48 hours a Belize passport in the name of Wilhelm Dick, an infant of the Mennonite community who died shortly after birth. Since then there have been several attempts to bolster the Immigration and Nationality Department against fraud and corruption.

Review: The Peninsula Club of BelizeBelize is among the most coveted vacation and retirement destinations in the world. With its stunning landscapes, friendly culture and affordability, few destinations offer the same tropical experience as Belize.
The Peninsula Club of Belize gives you the luxurious resort experience you are looking for.
The Setting
The Peninsula Club of Belize is an immaculate, luxurious private development that provides residents with the serenity of coastal life blended with the luxury of a premier resort. The development sits along the coast of a peninsula in the charming seaside town of Placencia, providing an exclusive, private ambiance for residence to enjoy.

International Sources

Tropics May Activate in Southwestern Gulf of MexicoThe tropical Atlantic has quieted down, but that may change in the coming days in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico's Bay of Campeche.
A tropical wave moving through the western Caribbean has the potential to become the Atlantic Basin's next tropical depression or storm in the Bay of Campeche, in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, during the first part of the new week.
The Bay of Campeche is where conditions will become conducive for development as the water is very warm and a zone of lower wind shear will be present. Wind shear refers to belts of winds in the upper levels of the atmosphere that can shred apart tropical systems when strong enough.
The wave is currently encountering such disruptive wind shear and would continue to do so if it takes a more northern track into the western Gulf of Mexico.

Video: Adaptive SCUBA Divers Ambergus Caye Belize 2014, 14min.3 Paraplegic SCUBA divers and 2 friends SCUBA dive in Belize, June 13 to 21, 2014. Swell on day 1 was 8 to 10 feet making getting back on the boat "interesting". Swell slowly settled down till the last day it was only 2 to 4 feet, still interesting when 3 of the divers are paraplegic's.
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Video: Belize Island Dog Fishing: Local Island Dog Hunting For Fish, 2min.While walking the beautiful beaches of Belize, we witnessed one of the cutest dogs we had ever seen. We saw a local island dog who appeared to be walking in the ocean, playing under a dock. After observing him and enjoying the show, we realized that he was fishing. Slowly walking around the pilings while intensely studying the sea floor below him just waiting to pounce on a fish. LOL.

Video: Wildtracks in Belize- June 2014 Tour, 10min.This video is a small tour of Wildtracks, a primate and manatee rehab center in Belize. I took this video at the end of my 6 weeks volunteering there in June 2014. There are many changes now due to the number of manatees that they received and the new construction of the spiders prerelease cages. Paul and Zoe have their hands full and are lucky to have such great volunteers to stay and help them out! It was one of the best experiences in my life and I have met the most amazing people who have volunteered there! It is an experience that I wish for everyone to have. Here is there website if you wish to volunteer or donate! (:

Video: MISS WORLD BELIZE 2013 is Idolly Louise Saldivar, 4min.Idolly Louise Saldivar - Idolly Louise Saldivar (23, 1.78m) from Belmopan was selected as Miss World Belize 2013 in an event held at the Princess Hotel in Belize City on August 10. She will represent Belize in Miss World 2013 in Bogor, Indonesia on September 28. Idolly has previously held many beauty titles in Belize.